RUSSIAN - ARGENTINIAN NUCLEAR

REUTERS - U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $61.81 a barrel at 0750 GMT. That was 20 cents, or 0.3 percent, below their last close. WTI hit a $62.21 the previous day, which was its strongest since May, 2015. Brent crude futures LCOc1 were at $67.88 a barrel, 19 cents, or 0.3 percent, below their last settlement. Brent hit $68.27 the day before, also the highest since May, 2015.

REUTERS - U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $62.16 a barrel at 0752 GMT, up 53 cents, or 0.9 percent, from their last close. They touched $62.21 shortly before, their highest level since May 2015. Brent crude futures LCOc1 - the international benchmark for oil prices - were at $68.23 a barrel, up 39 cents, or 0.9 percent, after revisiting a May 2015 high of $68.27 shortly before.

REUTERS - U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $60.50 a barrel at 1017 GMT, up 13 cents from their last close, though still not far off the $60.74 reached on the previous day that was the highest since June 2015. Brent crude futures LCOc1 - the international benchmark for oil prices - were at $66.74 a barrel, up 17 cents but still trailing Tuesday’s high of $67.29 that was the most since May 2015.

BLOOMBERG - Brent for February settlement lost 20 cents to $66.82 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. Prices climbed $1.77, or 2.7 percent, to $67.02 a barrel Tuesday, the highest close since May 2015. The global benchmark crude traded at a premium of $6.95 to WTI.

RUSSIAN - ARGENTINIAN NUCLEAR

WNN - Russia and Argentina have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on uranium exploration and mining in the South American country. Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom is also proposing to supply Argentina with a nuclear power plant.

The MoU was signed in Moscow yesterday during the first official visit by Argentine President Mauricio Macri, during which he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The agreement was signed by Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie on behalf of Lino Barañao, the minister of science, technology and productive innovation. It was also signed by Uranium One Group President and CEO Vasily Konstantinov and by the president of exploration company UrAmerica Argentina SA, Omar Adra.

The MoU aims to promote cooperation between Russia and Argentina in uranium exploration and mining, with a particular focus on the in-situ recovery (ISR) method of uranium extraction.

ISR mines pass a leaching solution - such as oxygen with sodium carbonate - through buried sand containing uranium, dissolving it on the way. The solution is then pumped to the surface. The uranium is removed from the solution using an ion-exchange process and the barren solution is re-fortified with oxidant and complexing agent before being returned to the wellfield via the injection wells. However, a small flow (about 0.5%) is bled off and is treated as waste.

This waste water contains various dissolved ions from the orebody and is reinjected into approved disposal wells in a depleted portion of the orebody. This bleed of process solution ensures that there is a steady flow into the wellfield from the surrounding aquifer, and serves to restrict the flow of mining solutions away from the mining area.

In a statement, Argentina's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said ISR is "the most efficient method due to its low costs and minimal environmental impact, given that it does not require soil removal". It added that, under its agreement with Uranium One, "Argentina would thus pioneer its application in Latin America".

"The signing of the memorandum seeks to position Argentina as a global uranium producer in the region and to fully satisfy Argentine demand for this metal from now on, until UrAmerica starts its own production and our country gradually becomes self-sufficient in uranium," the ministry said.

It noted that planned investment in the project - which will create an estimated 500 jobs - totals $250 million.

UrAmerica is a private uranium exploration company based in Buenos Aires. The company has focused its efforts on developing the properties it has successfully consolidated in the Province of Chubut in Argentina, surrounding known high grade deposits and historical mines.

In a press statement following talks between Putin and Macri, Putin said: "Rosatom is proposing a nuclear power plant of Russian design in Argentina based on the latest and safest technological standards."

In April 2015, Russia and Argentina signed an MoU establishing a "framework for cooperation" for construction of a 1200 MWe VVER unit in the South American country. JSC Rusatom Overseas and Nucleoeléctrica Argentina SA also signed a preliminary project development agreement on construction of the country's sixth reactor.

Russia and Argentina signed an intergovernmental agreement in July 2014 on cooperation in the peaceful use of atomic energy. That agreement replaced an earlier one that expired in December 2012 and expanded areas of cooperation. These areas included design, construction, operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants and research reactors, including water desalination facilities. They also included support of the nuclear fuel cycle, radioactive waste management, and isotope production.

ROSATOM - Russian NPPs exceeded the record of 2016 in the volume of generated electricity by increasing cumulative production by more than 6.5 billion kWh, up to 202.868 billion kWh (against 196.366 billion kWh in 2016).

WNN - According to the Foratom statement, World Nuclear Association Director General Agneta Rising said: "By 2050, nuclear energy must account for 25% of energy generation if we are to meet our climate targets. With nuclear making up 11% of generation in 2014, an extra 1000 GWe in nuclear capacity will need to be built by 2050. However, meeting this goal will not be easy."

EIA projects that global nuclear capacity will grow at an average annual rate of 1.6% from 2016 through 2040, led predominantly by countries outside of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). EIA expects China to continue leading world nuclear growth, followed by India. This growth is expected to offset declines in nuclear capacity in the United States, Japan, and countries in Europe.

Chronicle:

AOG - The Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) is to invest around $22bn on new energy projects across the next five years, with the renewables sector accounting for an increasing share of electricity generation, according to CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer.

TRANSCANADA - TransCanada Corporation (TSX:TRP) (NYSE:TRP) (TransCanada or the Company) announced net income attributable to common shares for fourth quarter 2017 of $861 million or $0.98 per share compared to a net loss of $358 million or $0.43 per share for the same period in 2016. For the year ended December 31, 2017, net income attributable to common shares was $3.0 billion or $3.44 per share compared to net income of $124 million or $0.16 per share in 2016.

ROSATOM - February 13, 2018, Moscow. – ROSATOM and the Ministry of Scientific Research and Technological Innovations of the Republic of Congo today signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy.

FRB - Industrial production edged down 0.1 percent in January following four consecutive monthly increases. Manufacturing production was unchanged in January. Mining output fell 1.0 percent, with all of its major component industries recording declines, while the index for utilities moved up 0.6 percent. At 107.2 percent of its 2012 average, total industrial production was 3.7 percent higher in January than it was a year earlier. Capacity utilization for the industrial sector fell 0.2 percentage point in January to 77.5 percent, a rate that is 2.3 percentage points below its long-run (1972–2017) average.